van Graan Names Munster Side Aiming to Slay Dragons

Munster coach Johann van Graan has named his Munster team to take on the Dragons on Sunday afternoon with 7 changes from the side that beat Cardiff last Monday. .

Fresh from making his Guinness PRO14 debut, Academy prop Josh Wycherley makes his first start this time around, as he and Keynan Knox, making his first appearance of the campaign, scrum down either side of hooker Kevin O’Byrne.

Jean Kleyn joins captain Billy Holland in the engine room, while in the back row Chris Cloete takes his place at openside with last week’s try scorers Jack O’Donoghue and Gavin Coombes retaining their places.

Scrum-half Craig Casey, who starts his fourth successive game, is paired up with JJ Hanrahan in the half backs this week.

Rory Scannell makes the positional switch to outside centre and in doing so frees up the number 12 shirt for Damian de Allende to come in.

The final change to the back three sees Matt Gallagher start at full-back with Calvin Nash and Darren Sweetnam on the wings.

In the replacements the Academy’s Thomas Ahern and Jake Flannery are included with Ahern in line to make his Munster debut should he be introduced.

Munster: Matt Gallagher; Calvin Nash, Rory Scannell, Damian de Allende, Darren Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Kevin O’Byrne, Keynan Knox; Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland (C); Jack O’Donoghue, Chris Cloete, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, James Cronin, Stephen Archer, Thomas Ahern, Tommy O’Donnell, Nick McCarthy, Jake Flannery, Jack O’Sullivan.